June 16, 2008

Iowa floods may wash away profits of cattle producers
   
  

Iowa's cattle producers may lose their profits to the floods due to flooded cornfields and disrupted transportation of distillers grain.
 

No cattle were known to be lost in the flood that hit Iowa last week. Even though the damage to Iowa's corn crop has not been tallied, but the large numbers of flooded fields and accounts from farmers have generated fears that there would be not enough fed corn for Iowa's cattle and pigs through the end of this year.

A load of distillers grain was also more than a day late due to delivery problems along the Cedar River in Floyd County.

Early indications show the floods' effect on livestock producers this year could be worse than the 1993 floods because it is more widespread this year, according to Nancy Degner of the Iowa Beef Industry Council.

However, Degner said the most immediate concern now is hay supply as damaged hay crop could mean shortages during winter.